Jonas Friddle grew up listening to traditional rock, Creedence Clearwater Revival, for instance. He additionally heard loads of people musicians, together with John Prine and Doc Watson, whereas rising up within the North Carolina mountains, particularly when the household was heading someplace of their station wagon.
Friddle’s coronary heart settled on old-time music and right this moment he’s an award-winning claw-hammer-style banjo participant and songwriter. Friddle, together with two different people musicians, Anna Jacobson and Andrew Wilkins, will carry out at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 at Grayslake Village Corridor, a Lake County Folks Membership venue.
They’ll current songs from Friddle’s newest album, “The Final Place to Go.” It’s the primary album he’s launched that options all of his personal songs. Friddle moved to Chicago in 2007 and commenced educating on the Previous City College of Folks Music in addition to performing. Since then he has launched a number of studio albums below his personal identify and with the folks group The Majority.
Although he’s identified for his banjo selecting abilities and old-time type, Friddle realized music on a guitar his dad purchased him at a yard sale when he was 12 years outdated.
He didn’t begin enjoying banjo till he was in school. “I purchased my first banjo whereas I used to be residing in Toronto and I had met an excellent banjo participant there named Chris Coole,” Friddle mentioned. “I had numerous time for playing around so I made a decision to get one and provides it a go. I want I had began earlier. It’s my favourite instrument now,” he mentioned.
Friddle performs clawhammer banjo. He describes the type as utilizing “the again of the finger in a strumming movement with the thumb following behind to catch one other string off the beat. It produces a extremely nice rhythmic impact with loads of prospects for syncopation and groove.
“That type of play typically finds its dwelling in what people name old-time music. The clawhammer type of enjoying the banjo positively has its specific grooves and that impacts how the music finally ends up musically.”
Friddle is as a lot a songwriter as he’s a banjo participant.
“I’ve an outdated cassette tape someplace of a chunk of music I wrote with my piano instructor earlier than I stop classes,” he mentioned. “However 18 is after I wrote the primary music I can nonetheless keep in mind and nonetheless play generally. It was a waltz. I simply actually like good songs and actually get pleasure from making an attempt to jot down songs.
“Sadly, a lot of the songs you write beginning out are fairly dangerous,” Friddle mentioned. “Mine had been anyway. I do know that John Prine’s first batch of songs ended up being among the finest ever written. However Carole King mentioned one thing about having to jot down a whole lot of songs earlier than getting a very good one so I’ll consolation myself with that I feel.”
Friddle and his people group The Majority received a John Lennon Songwriting Award for the music, “Belle De Louisville.”
“That was the primary time I felt like I had put my finger on methods to put a music collectively, thought I can’t say for positive why it received,” he mentioned. “I do know on the coronary heart of the music is a eager for dwelling and that’s a reasonably sturdy feeling that loads of people know.
“I’m positive if I picked by my stuff all of it might owe one thing to somebody. I spend a lot time with pals enjoying fiddle tunes, Carter Household songs, Memphis Jug Band songs. All of that social music definitely makes its manner into what I write. A stunning variety of chickens present up in my songs. However, I don’t consider my music as throwback or old-timey.
“I actually like songs with attention-grabbing writing, good tales, sturdy photos, perhaps a little bit summary and humorous … I at all times love how Prine can inform a tragic story that’s someway a little bit humorous on the identical time. ‘The Final Place to Go’ has a few of that in, it I feel,” he mentioned referring to his latest album.
“‘The Final Place to Go’ is the primary document I’ve accomplished the place I wrote the entire songs. Earlier than that I’d combine in conventional tunes. Most every little thing on ‘The Final Place to Go’ was written about reminiscences of youthful days. It was a extra private type of writing and didn’t appear to combine with the normal stuff as effectively,” he mentioned.
The album consists of what he calls sung tales with drum, fiddle, dobro, electrical guitar, bass, organ and trumpet accompaniment.
Among the many songs on that album is “Consuming in a Dry City.”
“I used to be again on completely different people I knew after I was youthful coping with the challenges of popping out to their pals. I feel and hope that course of is simpler now … however wanting again as an grownup and understanding higher how exhausting that was for these people at the moment … that’s the place ‘Consuming in a Dry City’ got here from,” he mentioned.
“I definitely attempt to write lyrics price singing. Hopefully they cling round with anyone after they hear the music. The phrases are essential to me.”
Friddle mentioned people and rock music have comparable hard-driving power however with completely different instrumentation. He had entry to old-time jam reveals way more than rock golf equipment, in order that’s what he adopted, he mentioned.
He added “Enjoying people music makes it a little bit simpler to fulfill folks and play collectively. That mentioned, I haven’t given up on my rock ’n’ roll profession but.”
Jonas Friddle
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 20
The place: Grayslake Village Corridor, 10 Seymour Ave.
Tickets: $13-$18
Info: 847-602-8882, thelakecountyfolkclub.org
Sheryl DeVore is a contract reporter for the Information-Solar.
